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Renault Thinks the World Needs More Crossovers, so They Turned the New Espace Into One

The Renault Espace used to be a minivan, but since these body styles are not as popular as they once were, the diamond brand turned it into a crossover, retaining the moniker that was first used in 1984, on the first generation. The sixth-gen has just celebrated its world premiere, and it is the company’s most spacious model yet, wrapped in a modern-looking package, equipped with all sorts of tech and safety gizmos, and powered by a hybrid assembly.
2023 Renault Espace 93 photos
Photo: Renault
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Looking like a more practical Austral, it adopts a similar design, with boomerang-shaped LED headlights flanking the large grille. The bumper has several sharp creases, albeit less than the ones of its sibling, and it sports a roofline that was gently arched towards the rear. It has a more upright design for the tailgate and rear windscreen, and the taillights look almost identical to those of the Austral. Renault says that despite having a smaller footprint than the old Espace, the new one is actually more spacious on the inside.

We cannot talk about the interior without mentioning the Austral again, because it copies its looks, layout, screens, and gear. It has a portrait-oriented 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The 9.3-inch head-up display reveals critical information to the driver. Each row (seating for five or seven occupants) has two USB-C ports, and Renault also mentions two 12-volt outlets and a wireless charging pad. Ambient lighting is on deck, together with the Harman Kardon premium audio, complete with two woofers. Google built-in services are also included, and the operating system supports over-the-air updates.

There are 32 advanced driver assistance systems split in three categories: safety, driving, and parking. Here, the French company speaks about the active driver assist, intelligent speed adaptation, traffic-sign recognition, 360-degree camera system, intelligent low and high beams, active emergency braking, blind spot warning, lane keep assist, lane change warning, trailer stability assist, parking assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, and others. The new Espace also features four-wheel steering, which makes its turning radius comparable to that of a Clio supermini.

Power is supplied by the E-Tech hybrid-gasoline assembly. This combines the 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged unit, making 130 ps (128 hp/96 kW) and 205 Nm (151 lb-ft) of torque, with two electric motors. The main unit generates 70 ps (69 hp/51 kW) and 205 Nm (151 lb-ft) and is fed by a 2 kWh/400-volt lithium-ion battery, and the secondary one is a starter generator. There are no plug-in hybrid capabilities, because this is a self-charging powertrain. Drivers can select the full-electric mode, where only the electric motor drives the wheels, the dynamic hybrid, where both the ICE and the motor set the car in motion, or the e-drive, where the motor drives it and the ICE charges the battery.

Joining the Techno and Iconic trim levels, each one featuring distinctive styling and equipment, is the Esprit Alpine. It has a sportier look, defined by the chequered grille, dark window surrounds, roof rails, and logos, satin gray trim on the outside, and 20-inch diamond-cut black alloys. The Alpine-branded side sills greet those opening the doors, and the ‘A-and-arrow’ emblem decorates the headrests. Alcantara stitched together with blue string, steering wheel wrapped in Nappa leather and Alcantara, blue edges on the black seatbelts, and aluminum pedal tops round off the special design of this grade.

Production of the Espace takes place at the Palencia factory, in Spain, next to the platform-sharing Austral. Details surrounding the pricing and availability will be announced in due course, and Renault says that order books will open this spring.

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 Download: Press Release - New Renault Espace (PDF)

About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
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After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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